[Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 31, Issue 68

[catherine at redshift.com]

> Urtatim mentioned:
>  >>>>
> the garlicy and buttery yucca.
> <<<<
>
> Stefan replied:
>
> What part of the yucca is eaten? The leaves? The roots?
>
> That is a desert plant. I hope it doesn't catch on as the latest,
trendiest food >and decimate the wild population. Desert plants tend to
grow slowly and take a >long time to recover. Yucca is only a New World
plant, right?
>
> -------->

Actually, Urtatim was talking about a different plant.  Yucca (yuck-a) is
the desert plant, yuca (you-ca) is Manihot esculenta, aka Manioc, cassave,
cassava, yucca.  It's a shrubby tropical plant from the New World.  The
starchy tubers are eaten either boiled or steamed as a potato-like
vegetable or grated & dried as a flour or starch.  Tapioca is made from
yuca.

Yuca con mojo (the garlicky & buttery sauce) is a Cuban staple.  Yuca
itself is unbelievably bland.

In Bermuda, they call it cassava. They use the grated root & chicken to
make a sort of shepherd's pie type dish called Cassava Pie.  It's a
traditional Christmas dish.  My mom's Bermudian, so yes, it's on my
Christmas menu. :-)

Caterina di Guglielmo